Infertility Success Author Chats: Laura Watson

Hi, thanks for joining us. We are going to be talking about Infertility Success: Stories of Help and Hope for Your Journey. This is Author Chat. I have with me author Laura Watson to— here, um, to tell us her story and about her chapter. Laura, thanks so much for joining us.

Thank you so much for having me.

So Everybody shared, all the authors shared their story for a different reason. Can you tell us a little bit about why you decided to share, to share your story in the book? What was the, what was the reason that compelled you to share your story?

I mean, I've always been excited to share my story, share my journey in regards to building our family. I would say the main reason that compelled me was I remember when I was in it, when I was going through it, that I would have loved to read a story like this. I would have loved to have read a truthful, authentic, the good, the bad, the ugly story that I could really connect with. And so that's why I really wanted to always be very truthful and very open about how we built our family. And I started sharing through like blog posts and articles here and there. And then when the opportunity to participate in this book presented itself, I thought, well, this is a really exciting way to continue sharing my story and expand my reach, um, and have it be a part of a bigger project with lots of women sharing their stories. And so that's, that's what really compelled me to participate.

Yeah, yeah. Um, it was just an extension then of what you were already doing, just gave you the opportunity to talk to a bigger audience. You brought something up, and we're going to talk about your chapter in just a minute, but I don't want to forget to tell, tell you if you're watching that each of the stories contain tips throughout the story. You mentioned the good, the bad, and the ugly. So the tips were kind of like highlighting the things that each of the authors thought would be the most important to the reader. And that's you if you're watching this, to help you with your journey. So Laura, tell us about your, tell us about your chapter and about your infertility journey?

Well, my journey starts with the fact that, you know, right off the bat, I started late. I was 40 years old when my husband and I got married. I think I was actually maybe 2 months shy of my 40th birthday when I got married. And we knew we wanted to start a family right away. And I didn't know anything about about infertility or the treatments. I just knew that there was a possibility that we might need help.

Because of your age.

Right.

Right.

I was, I was always told, oh, but you're so healthy. And, and I look a little— I look a bit younger than I am, which clearly has nothing to do with your fertility. But then once I did a little bit of digging and learned more, realized that honestly, like, age, while it matters, it is not the whole picture. And I did discover that we were going to have some obstacles. And so I started doing all of the research and I read all the books and I did all of the online research. I saw a handful of doctors and then I started— we were I'm experimenting with this and that and trying on our own and trying some non-invasive therapies, things like that. And I wasn't getting pregnant. You know, I tried to change my diet, which was great. I felt great, but didn't necessarily result in success. I tried acupuncture. Even better, still do acupuncture on a regular basis, but wasn't getting pregnant. And so, um, you know what, what we ended up doing is after seeing another doctor, I made a huge pivot in our plan and it was not what I originally envisioned our family building story to be, but that pivot, that detour took me down a road that As soon as we made that turn, I said to my husband and I said to my doctor, this is it. This is our answer. This is how we're going to get our family. And that's how we got our family. So in the book, I tell that story. I go into more detail about that particular turn. And then I also talk about when trying to get pregnant with my second child, I had a whole new set of circumstances and some challenges I didn't foresee. I had thought we had paid our dues and that we had come up with the plan to build the family we'd always dreamed of, and, um, the universe had other plans. And so, like I said, I had some new challenges, and so I had to come up with some tools and some, um, some ways to allow myself to get through that as well.

Yeah, second, a whole second pivot.

A whole second pivot. And while, you know, I would say that we, I keep using the road metaphor, which is something that I, I didn't really connect with me, but while we stayed on that road, like I said, there were just some obstacles that I didn't foresee. And so I had to continue learning and continue growing. And continue finding that strength within me to keep going. And because I knew that my family, I knew what I wanted my family to look like to be complete. And I knew that that was out there. And so I had to find a way to move, to keep going, to press on. And spoiler alert, I have two wonderful children. Yeah. But getting there was challenging. And so I, in the, in the book, I talk about how I managed that and a lot of what I learned from the whole experience.

Yeah. Yeah. So, um, you kind of answered my next question, which is where are you now and what's going on in your life? You have two little ones. How old are they?

So my son Duke will be 4 in August and baby Quinn just celebrated her first birthday at the end of June. And, um, You know, I was actually sharing with a girlfriend of mine recently who also had her experience with infertility that you, you know, you spend this time thinking, oh, will I ever have my family? Will I ever be pregnant? And then you're pregnant. And then you spend 40 weeks pregnant like, oh my gosh, when will this baby come? I'm tired and this is hard. And then the baby comes and you have this little baby. And then they're walking and they're talking and they're eating food, like actual food, and they're feeding themselves and you're buying them shoes because they're off and running. And gosh, how did we get here? But we're there. So that's where, you know, as far as my journey goes, I have these two beautiful children that I can't imagine any other outcome. And so I'm so thankful for the journey that we went on. And I decided that it wasn't over. So I'm actually so excited that we're talking today. It gives me the opportunity to continue my announcement that I am now a certified fertility coach. And thank you. Thank you.

Congratulations.

Thank you so much. I was absolutely inspired by participating in the Infertility Success Club and meeting those women, a lot of them being fertility coaches and resources themselves.

Yeah.

And I thought to myself, gosh, like, I could do that. Like, I have the tools, I have the knowledge, but it's so much that I learned. And I've been doing it all along with, you know, casually with friends and with acquaintances and helping them along and being someone that they could come to, to talk about some challenges that they were having figuring out how to navigate this issue or that issue. And how do I administer medications? What do I— how do I want to best get through a doctor's appointment and make sure that I leave with all the pertinent information? And how do I advocate for myself? And professionally, and now Positive Fertility, and it will be focused on, um, the mind-body full connection and, um, finding the best ways for my clients to navigate this journey. It can be so overwhelming. Yeah, so exciting. Um, I know that the journey can be incredibly overwhelming and —frating, stressful, lonely for so many. Right. And I really want to be that person that can be the resource that they can find success and, um, and find positive way— find a positive way to, to navigate that journey. And that looks different for everyone. And so, um, there's just a lot that I can offer these clients, and I'm so excited to get started.

That's amazing. Um, you mentioned when you were talking about your own journey about the roadblocks and the obstacles that you can't see when you're, when you're going through it because you've never been through it. And one of the tools that, again, the tips are, are things that help with that, but that's what this book is for. That's the purpose of this book, is to provide clarity for the things that you don't know and nobody really talks about, right? You know, advocating for yourself with your doctors, making sure that you get tested properly. And one thing I failed to mention earlier was the QR codes in the back of each chapter. So if you wanted to connect with Laura further, you can just scan her code. She has resources available to you. Laura, just one more minute here before we're done. But what would you tell someone who is still in the trenches, who is still going through infertility? What advice would you give them?

My advice would be to really enjoy that you're going somewhere, that there is success, and that success is going to look It's different for everyone, but it doesn't need to be as overwhelming and stressful as it might feel right now. And so the resources are out there, the tools are out there. This book is an excellent resource in terms of connecting with several of the stories, maybe just one or two of the stories, and feeling that you're not alone in this. And all of us, I would say, in the book are available to reach out and ask your questions. The resources are out there, the tools are out there, and it doesn't have to be that stressful journey. It can be— there can be really positive moments, and working towards building a family should be joyful. And so there are ways to get there.

Yes, absolutely. Well, thank you so much for being on here with us. And if you want to hear the rest of Laura's Laura's story, we have not, uh, it wasn't accidental that we left a cliffhanger. You'll have to buy the book and read the rest of her story there. Um, Infertility Success: Stories of Help and Hope is available, um, wherever books are sold on amazon.com and Target and Walmart and Barnes Noble.

So if you want to pick up a copy, you can do so there.

Laura, thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you for having me, Erica Hoke. All right. Bye-bye. Bye.